Display case

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a display case or box for watches, pencils, pens, articles of jewelry and similar items, which has a container for the item to be displayed, a cover for the container, a pedestal to hold the container in elevated position and hinge arrangements between the container and cover which permits the cover to be opened by an approximately 180* rotation whereby the cover, in open position, fits snugly about the container, without disturbing the equilibrium of latter or projecting into the surrounding space.

Q United States Patent 1 1 3,809,216 Ferguson May 7, 1974 DISPLAY CASE 3,741,430 6/1973 Bergh et al. 206/4523 x [75] Inventor: Inward Ferguson, Valley Cottage 2,943,901 7/1960 Eaton et a1. 312/284 X N.Y. Primary Examiner-William 1. Price Asslgneel Arrow Manufactullng C p y, Assistant ExaminerSteven E. Lipman West New York, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Greene & Durr [22] Filed: Oct. 30, 1972 21 Appl. No.: 302,285 [57] ABSTRACT The invention relates to a display case or box for [52] U s 206/45 34 206/45 23 217/58 watches, pencils, pens, articles of jewelry and similar 3l2/284 items, which has a container for the item to be dis- [51 Cl 865d 5/52 B65d 25/00 365d 43/14 played, a cover for the container, a pedestal to hold [58] Fieid g 206/44 4513 45 2 the container in elevated position and hinge arrange- 206/45 23 45 58 3 5 ments between the containerand cover which permits the cover to be opened by an approximately 180 rota- [56] References Cited tion whereby the cover, in open position, fits snugly about the container, without disturbing the equilib- UNITED STATES PATENTS rium of latter or projecting into the surrounding space. 1,150,329 8/1915 Becker 217/58 1,640,870 8/1927 Asplund. 217/58 3 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures 1 DISPLAY CASE The invention relates to a display case having a rotatable cover which closes the case to provide a boxed item for delivery to a buyer.

Among the objects of the invention is to provide a display case, especially for watches and similar items, having a container for, the item and a permanently attached cover for the container and which, when the cover is closed, provides an attractive package which protects the item during transitand when the cover is open provides a compact display device wherein the cover is relatively closely held around the container without creating any unstable projecting portions.

The objects of the invention are attained by providing a container having the shape of a generally rectilinearly box which has been cut off along a plane extending at an angle between the vertical or horizontal so that a large part of the front surface (but not the entire front surface) and a large part of the top area (but not the entire top area) is removed along with portions of the sides. The cut-off portion provides the opening to the container. A cover is supplied which generally has the shape of the cut-away portion, but which is larger than the cut-away portion. Thus, the cover has front and top portions which, in closed position, cover the areas which would have been covered by the front and top, respectively, of the container, and two side portions which overlap the side portionsremaining on the container. The container is supported by a pedestal comprising an enlarged base and a column, which column is secured to the container at the central front portion of the lower'side of the containenThe cover is permanently attached to the container through hinge means provided in the overlapping side portions of the container and cover. The cover has no back portion so that it can be rotated on said hinge approximately 180, to bring the rear edge of the top of the cover adjacent the column of said pedestal.- The sides of the cover are cut away so that when the cover is rotated, the edges of the cut away sides lie in the same plane as the edges of the cut-away sides of the container.

Preferably the cover is formed of transparent plastic material. Both the container and the cover may be made by an injection molding process, but either of said parts can also be made of cardboard, metal, or woodas well as plastic materials.

A simple and satisfactory hinge can be formed as one or more projections on one or the other of the container or the cover and corresponding round or elon gated slot arrangements on the other of said two parts.

In the drawing:

FIG. I is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention with the cover in closed position.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the case of FIG. 1 in closed position.

FIG. 3 is a detail view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the case of FIG. 1 in open position.

FIG. 5 is a front view of a modified form of the case in closed position.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the case in open position.

In the form of the invention shown in FIGS. 1-4, the container takes the form, more or less, of a rectilinear box with height to depth ratio of about 3:2, but which has been cutoff along a plane extending at an angle of about 30 with respect to the vertical to provide the slanted sidesl3, 1 4. T he angle of cut-off i s r 9 t critical and can be any angle betweem about l5 tb depending somewhat on the height to depth ratio of the container. The container 10 is supported by a base 11 and column 12. An item to be displayed (not shown) is held on a suitable holding means 15 within the hollow region extending back of the plane defined by the side edges 13 and 14. The container 10 preferably has five sides, a bottom, a back and side:s 17, plus a remnant of the front side shown at 16. The upper part of the container 10 is'not closed at the upper part between the short edges 18 and 18. Although the container is generally rectilinear, it will be understood that since it is preferably made by injection molding. all edges where two surfaces come together may be more or less rounded- The cover 20 has four sides, a front 21, a top 22., and two similar sides 23 (only one shows), the back and bottom areas, when the cover is in closed position as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 5, being open.

The cover 20 is pivotally connected to the container 10 through hinge means interconnecting the corresponding sides of the cover and container. For containers and covers which vary in heightand depth by a substantial amount as shown in FIGS. 14, a double slot arrangement in one of the parts with a double peg arrangement in the corresponding part is preferred, as shown in FIGS. 2-4. In FIGS. 2-4, the two slots 19 and 1 9 are formed in the sides 17 and the sides 23 of cover 20 contain two projecting pegs 29 and 29'. It will be noted that although slot 19 is less than a arc, the

The modified form of the device shown in FIGS. 5"

and 6 show the same principle applied to theconstruction of a long display case. This case comprises the relatively long container 30 supported in raised position by base 11 and column 12, the latter being attached to the front portion of the lower surface of the container. The ratio of height to the depth of the container 30 is somea what less than 3:2 and a single pivoting arrangement comprising round openings 39 in the sides of the container 30 and projections 49 on the sides of the cover 40 are employed. As clear from FIG. 6, the cover 40 has a rear cut-off edge 47 which matches the edge 33 of the container when the cover is in open position.

I claim:

1. A display box for watches and similar items comprising an open container for holding the item, in the form of a rectilinear box which has been cut-off along a plane extending at an angle to the perpendicular to provide a front opening which eliminates almost all of the front faceof the box, almost all of the top side edges of the box, as well as corresponding parts of the side portions, a pedestal for supporting the open container comprising a base and a columnar part extending from the base and connected to the lower side of said container at a region adjacent the central front portion thereof, and a four-sided cover comprising front, top and side portions adapted to fit closely about the open front, top and sides of the container with the side portions overlapping the remaining side portions of the container; hinge means between sides of the open container and the corresponding sides of the cover, said cover having its side portions cut-off at an angle and the hinge means being constructed and arranged so that when the cover is rotated to open the box, it rotates approximately 180 whereupon the rear edge of the top portion rests against the columnar part of the pedestal when in the open position, and whereupon the front portion of the cover in open position is parallel to the back portion of the container and the cut-off edges of the side portions of the cover in open position are coplanar with the cut-off edges of the open container.

rangements in the other of said side portions. 

1. A display box for watches and similar items comprising an open container for holding the item, in the form of a rectilinear box which has been cut-off along a plane extending at an angle to the perpendicular to provide a front opening which eliminates almost all of the front face of the box, almost all of the top side edges of the box, as well as corresponding parts of the side portions, a pedestal for supporting the open container comprising a base and a columnar part extending from the base and connected to the lower side of said container at a region adjacent the central front portion thereof, and a four-sided cover comprising front, top and side portions adapted to fit closely about the open front, top and sides oF the container with the side portions overlapping the remaining side portions of the container; hinge means between sides of the open container and the corresponding sides of the cover, said cover having its side portions cut-off at an angle and the hinge means being constructed and arranged so that when the cover is rotated to open the box, it rotates approximately 180* whereupon the rear edge of the top portion rests against the columnar part of the pedestal when in the open position, and whereupon the front portion of the cover in open position is parallel to the back portion of the container and the cut-off edges of the side portions of the cover in open position are coplanar with the cut-off edges of the open container.
 2. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said cover is made of transparent material.
 3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hinge means between each of the side portions of the container and the corresponding side portion of the cover comprises at least two slot arrangements in one of said side portions and two corresponding peg arrangements in the other of said side portions. 